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Shape Shifters
Many creatures exist within Middle Earth that seemed able to alter their form to that of an animal, and there are hints throughout The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion that this is possible. This ability is never fully explained, and as such, is often overlooked or ignored. Known Shape Shifters The Valar The Valar are not constricted to any one form, but often choose to take forms similar to the children of Illuvatar. Beorn One shape shifter that we do meet in ''The Hobbit is Beorn. Beorn is a very mysterious character, who lives alone in a house near the Carrock (as he calls it). He is introduced by Gandalf as "a very great person", and a skin-changer, (this is what we were looking for) which seems to be akin to a shape shifter, as he is able to change between a man and a bear. In the novel The Hobbit he seems to spend his days as a "great strong black-haired man," and his nights as a "huge black bear."The Hobbit: Queer Lodgings. Little is known about his origins, but Gandalf says of him: Beorn lived with many animals such as horses and dogs, as well as keeping bees bigger than hornets. These animals were quite intelligent, and even were able to understand Beorn's speech; the dogs were able to walk on their hind legs and carry things with their front paws. It is unknown whether or not these were skin changers as well, as they were certainly not normal animals. Sauron Although not mentioned in the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion recounts Sauron's shape-shifting abilities. Sauron is known as the Lord of Werewolves, and is able to change into the form of a werewolf, as when he does battle with Huan. During this struggle, Sauron was not restricted to only a werewolf form. Speculations It may be that the Maiar, being less powerful versions of the Valar, also share this ability to change their appearance at will. It is not stated that the Maiar were different beings to the Valar entirely. In fact, This would explain Sauron's ability to change at will. There is also evidence to suggest that other Maiar possess this power. Gandalf the Grey Of Gandalf, Tolkien says, Gandalf (and therefore the Istari in general) were able to change their form at least to that of an Elf or Human. Nevertheless, this ability is never explained, only hinted at, and there may be unknown limitations to this power that would explain why it is not more commonly employed. In adaptations In Peter Jackson's ''The Hobbit film trilogy, Beorn describes himself as coming from a race of shape-shifters who once inhabited the Misty Mountains until they were conquered by the Orcs. Azog in particular held them captive and tortured them for amusement, with Beorn eventually escaping as the only known survivor. Common Misconceptions It should be noted that Werewolves in Arda are not shape shifters; they are limited to only their wolf form, unlike some non-LOTR legends wherein they become men. Category:Races